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Aerial view of green limestone islands rising from calm turquoise water in Ha Long Bay at sunrise.

Vietnam in 12 days: Hanoi to Ho Chi Minh City

12 days, 11 nights · Hanoi → Ninh Binh → Lan Ha Bay → Hue → Hoi An → Ho Chi Minh City

Twelve days is the shortest the whole north-to-south route works: two or three nights at each stop.

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The route

  1. Hanoi

    2 nights, from day 1

    Typical hotel: Apricot Hotel or La Siesta Premium Hang Be

  2. Ninh Binh

    1 night, from day 3

    Typical hotel: Tam Coc Garden Resort

  3. Lan Ha Bay

    1 night, from day 4

    Typical hotel: Halong Capella Cruise (Lyra Cruise Collection) or Heritage Cruises Binh Chuan Cat Ba Archipelago

  4. Hue

    2 nights, from day 5

    Typical hotel: Pilgrimage Village Resort & Spa or Saigon Morin Hotel

  5. Hoi An

    3 nights, from day 7

    Typical hotel: Anantara Hoi An Resort or La Siesta Hoi An Resort & Spa

  6. Ho Chi Minh City

    2 nights, from day 10

    Typical hotel: Hotel des Arts Saigon Mgallery Collection or Hotel Majestic Saigon

Day by day

12 days, 11 nights

Built from our Vietnam Highlights journey. Times are approximate; every day can change in the builder, where it opens on your own dates.

  1. 1

    Day 1: Arrive in Hanoi

    Noi Bai airport to Hanoi · about 45 minutes by private car

    Afternoon:
    Your driver meets you at Noi Bai airport and takes you into the city.
    Evening:
    Time to settle in, with a quiet dinner close to your hotel if you would like one.

    Overnight: Hanoi

    A cyclo is pedalled along a quiet, sunlit Hanoi street, casting long shadows beneath an old railway bridge.

  2. 2

    Day 2: Hanoi, slowly

    Morning:
    An early walk around Hoan Kiem Lake while the city does its morning exercise, then the Temple of Literature and the old streets of the Old Quarter.
    Afternoon:
    Free. Your guide suggests a café, a gallery or simply a rest.

    Overnight: Hanoi

  3. 3

    Day 3: Into the limestone valleys of Ninh Binh

    Hanoi to Ninh Binh · about 2 hours by road

    Morning:
    The drive south to Ninh Binh.
    Afternoon:
    A rowing boat takes you through the caves and rice fields of Trang An.
    Evening:
    Quiet, among the karst hills.

    Overnight: Ninh Binh

    Small rowing boats on a river beside golden rice fields beneath tall limestone karsts in Ninh Binh.

  4. 4

    Day 4: Ninh Binh to Lan Ha Bay

    Ninh Binh to the Lan Ha Bay pier · about 4 hours by road and short ferry

    Morning:
    An early start: the drive and short ferry to the pier, where you board a small cruise ship on Lan Ha Bay, the calmer neighbour of Ha Long Bay.
    Afternoon:
    Among the islands, by kayak, small boat or simply from the deck.

    Overnight: Lan Ha Bay

    Steep, wooded limestone islands rising from calm green water in Lan Ha Bay under a soft grey sky, small boats in the distance.

  5. 5

    Day 5: Morning on the bay, evening in Hue

    Lan Ha Bay to Hanoi airport · about 2½ hours by road, then a flight of just over an hour to Hue

    Morning:
    Sunrise on deck, a late breakfast and a gentle return to shore.
    Afternoon:
    The longest travel day: the drive to Hanoi airport and the flight to Hue.
    Evening:
    Arrive in Hue.

    Overnight: Hue

    A traveller walks along a stone causeway towards the ornate Meridian Gate of Hue's Imperial City under a blue sky.

  6. 6

    Day 6: Imperial Hue

    Morning:
    The walled Citadel and the Forbidden Purple City in the cool of the morning.
    Afternoon:
    Lunch in a family garden house, then a free afternoon by the Perfume River.

    Overnight: Hue

  7. 7

    Day 7: Over the Hai Van Pass to Hoi An

    Hue to Hoi An · about 3 hours of driving in all

    Morning:
    One of the royal tombs on the way out of Hue.
    Afternoon:
    The coast road over the Hai Van Pass, with stops for the view.
    Evening:
    Arrive in Hoi An.

    Overnight: Hoi An

    An older couple walking slowly along a quiet Hoi An street under red lanterns and bougainvillea, the man with a walking stick.

  8. 8

    Day 8: Hoi An's old town

    Morning:
    The old merchant houses, assembly halls and the Japanese Bridge, seen early before the day visitors arrive.
    Evening:
    Lanterns are lit along the river at dusk.

    Overnight: Hoi An

  9. 9

    Day 9: The countryside and its makers

    Morning:
    The craftspeople around Hoi An: a pottery village, a lantern maker or a vegetable garden, depending on the day.
    Afternoon:
    Free, by the pool or on the beach.

    Overnight: Hoi An

  10. 10

    Day 10: Fly south to Ho Chi Minh City

    Hoi An to Da Nang airport · about 45 minutes, then a flight of about an hour and a half to Ho Chi Minh City

    Morning:
    The drive to Da Nang airport and the flight south.
    Afternoon:
    Arrive in Ho Chi Minh City.
    Evening:
    A walk through the colonial centre, from the Opera House to the old Post Office.

    Overnight: Ho Chi Minh City

    The colonial facade of Saigon Central Post Office with its arched clock entrance in warm late light.

  11. 11

    Day 11: A day on the Mekong

    Ho Chi Minh City to Ben Tre and back · about 2 hours each way by road

    Morning:
    The drive to Ben Tre, in the Mekong Delta.
    Afternoon:
    Small boats along the coconut-lined canals to family workshops and orchards.
    Evening:
    Back in the city.

    Overnight: Ho Chi Minh City

  12. 12

    Day 12: Depart

    Your hotel to Tan Son Nhat airport · about 30 to 45 minutes

    Morning:
    A slow breakfast and time to pack.
    Afternoon:
    Your driver takes you to the airport for your onward flight.

    Overnight: none (departure day)

Make it yours

The builder opens with these days on real dates: change the length, the pace, a day or a hotel, then book the pieces yourself with partners, or send it to us and a person fine-tunes it with you, free.

Customise this itinerarySee the Vietnam Highlights journey and its tiers

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